Analytical note on the results of civic summit “(Dis)connected: rethinking social resilience in Ukraine” 

Ukrainians have a neutral attitude towards their compatriots who went abroad and those who stay in Ukraine. The most favorable attitude is expressed towards those who joined the army and stopped consuming Russian content, while the most negative attitude is towards those who evade military service and consume Russian information products.

Findings of the study by the Civil Network OPORA and the Kyiv School of Economics, conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

The study aimed to determine the degree of affective polarization in Ukrainian society. Unlike ideological polarization, which arises from differences in political or ideological positions, affective polarization describes the growth of social and emotional distance from other groups. It explains why cohesion and benevolence between different groups and individuals decrease. As part of the study, we assumed that Ukrainian society is divided into a certain number of groups according to their experience gained after the outbreak of a full-scale invasion. 

Due to Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, huge numbers of Ukrainian citizens were forced to leave their homes and went abroad in search of shelter. In response to an information request from the Civil Network OPORA, the Department of Consular Service reported that according to estimates of foreign diplomatic missions in Ukraine, as of May 2024, about 7.6 million Ukrainian citizens were staying outside Ukraine. This creates risks of integration of our citizens abroad and loss of communication with Ukraine, including through the acquisition of foreign citizenship. Therefore, OPORA continues to study the impact of forced migration and its consequences to develop an effective policy of repatriation of Ukrainian people.

OPORA analyst Olha Snopok presented a study on the impact of Russian cultural policy on Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories and attempts to influence Ukrainian identity on September 26, during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

According to various estimates, up to 20% of Ukraine's population may now be abroad. However, the Ukrainian state and international institutions that calculate migration publish different data. To systematically receive updates on this information, compare it chronologically, and monitor migration trends, Civil Network OPORA created a dashboard.

Two months before the full-scale invasion, Vladimir Putin instilled fear in Russians by saying that it would take much less time for enemy’s missiles to reach Moscow if Ukraine joins NATO. Two-and-a-half years into the large-scale war, there is a real possibility that NATO’s missiles will indeed fly towards Russian land to protect the people of Ukraine.

On September 8, 2024, Russia conducted a so-called “single voting day” for by-election of officers to local occupation authorities in the temporarily occupied territories.